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Writers’ Reflections 2012

My favorite story that I covered this year was the “Many Blacks in D.C. Still Worried Despite Steep Drop in Killings” piece.

This was my favorite because as a student in D.C. Public Schools, I remember the years/stories/tales of D.C. being the murder capital. It was very heartwarming to know that, even though some bad crime still exists particularly in Wards 7 & 8, the area is much safer than it ever was when I was younger.

Alexis Taylor

There have been several life-changing moments etched into my memory from 2012, but by far one of the most ingrained would be meeting and interviewing Rep. John R. Lewis (D-Ga.). So often the legends and game changers that still walk this Earth are long-forgotten by my generation, only to have the memory of their deeds resurface after death. This is not the case with Lewis, who is still as passionate about advancing the human race as he was when he was knocked unconscious leading marchers in Selma, Ala. across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965. Words can hardly describe the wide array of emotions felt in meeting and interviewing the Troy, Ala. sharecropper's son who would play a huge role in my ability to vote, to receive equal education and job opportunities, or simply to drink from the water fountain of my choosing in a public space. Because of his sacrifice- made in blood- a nation had no choice but to acknowledge the brutality and sheer hate fueling segregation. It was nothing short of an honor to hear him tell his own life story in his own words. Because of his actions, and willingness to exchange his life for my future, I will be forever indebted to Lewis.